Yorkshire villagers consider paying for broadband improvements

Residents of a Yorkshire village are considering paying to boost their broadband service after BT said carrying out the improvement would not be commercially viable.

People living in Dodworth are currently forced to use very slow connections that prevent them from doing online activities such as watching videos and working from home and say the problem has existed for the past ten years, the Barnsley Chronicle reports.

However, BT has told the paper is it under no legal obligation to improve services in the area and said the complex and expensive nature of laying the underground fibre optic cables required to do so means it would not be commercially viable.

To counter this problem, the company has offered to cover some of the costs if members of the local community will contribute as well. "On a per household basis this proposal will be very good value for money and transform the way residents can use the internet," BT stated.

John Clapham, who lives in the area, has arranged a meeting to give people the chance to discuss the proposal, which would require them to provide £11,000, with Barnsley Council and BT putting forward a similar amount.

Each resident would be needed to make a one-off payment of £50 to raise the funds, but another member of the community, Spencer Grogan, told the Chronicle many people may be unwilling to do so.

Anyone living in Dodworth who does not want to pay for the village to be connected to fibre optic broadband, or is worried the necessary funds will not be raised, could benefit from switching to satellite broadband.

Unlike fibre optic technology, this form of broadband requires no expensive construction work as the connection is provided by a satellite signal. All that is needed to get a home or business connected is the installation of a small satellite dish linked to a modem by a single wire.

This technology is available now and can usually be set up at an individual property within a few weeks of an order being placed.